A flood of new research is advancing ourunderstanding of autism and highlightingthe need for earlier interventions.

BY EVE GLICKSMANOne in 88 children. That was the jarring statistic released in March when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the number ofU.S. children with autism. If that number didn’t get yourattention, the report also announced a 23 percent jump inautism rates from 2006 to 2008, and a 78 percent increasesince 2002.

Some researchers say the dramatic data are due to broaderdefinitions of autism and earlier identification, but CDC’shigher-than-expected statistics are a call to action withimplications for psychologists.

“Many psychologists have little or no training in working
with autistic adults. Twenty years ago, adult psychologists
might have gone through an entire career without really
needing this information,” says Judith Miller, PhD, training
director at the Center for Autism Research, Children’s
Hospital of Philadelphia. “Today, however, it’s important for
the general psychologist to understand how mental disorders
manifest in people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD).

There will be opportunities to incorporate clients with ASD

into a more general practice and also to develop specialtyservices for these unique and interesting individuals.”With the increased attention on ASD, federal agencies,advocacy groups and others have raised or targeted millions ofdollars for research to tease out the causes of ASD and identifyhow best to treat it. The flurry of research began around 2006,with the Combating Autism Act. The federal InteragencyAutism Coordinating Committee also spearheaded much of therecent activity.

The latest findings are changing what we know about autismand, in particular, stress the need for diagnosis and treatmentbefore age 6 when treatment is known to be the most effective.

The newest research suggests it’s even possible to reverse autismsymptoms in some infants and toddlers or, more commonly,decrease the severity of the symptoms.

“The hope is that if we can improve intervention withinfants and toddlers, many of them will be able to leavetheir disabilities behind by age 5,” says Sally J. Rogers, PhD, aprofessor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the M.I.N.D.